Helen Cooke (above) was recently interviewed by Mike Scott on Monday Morning's with Scotty. The main topic of conversation was the Sunshine Coast Reconciliation Group’s up-coming 'Shared History' seminar: Archaeology – Adding to Australia’s First Nation’s Stories, to be held on Thursday, 2 August. Attendees are set to be taken on a unique journey exploring how Australian archaeology has the opportunity to develop the foundations for a shared identity.

Event co-organisers Meredith Walker and Helen Cooke said Aboriginal Australians of our First Nations were not actively involved in the early research and excavations in Australia, but now Traditional Owners are encouraged to be involved in all aspects of fieldwork on Indigenous sites, more engaged in researching their community and completing degrees in archaeology.

“Our keynote speaker for this event, Dave Johnston is a trailblazer in this field being the first Indigenous Australian to gain a degree in archaeology and having worked on more than 2,000 heritage projects across eastern Australia,” said Ms Cooke.

“He is recognised as a world leader in the field of Australian Indigenous archaeology, has been instrumental in the development of the Australian Government’s guidelines for Indigenous heritage and has developed a code of ethics for the World Archaeological Congress.”

The 'Our Shared History' seminar: Archaeology – Adding to Australia’s First Nation’s Stories will be held on: